SAMSUNG R451C MOBILE PHONE REVIEW

           Recently,  I purchased a Samsung R451C mobile phone because it is now one of the phones made for Straight Talk  and not just TracFone.  This is a review of what I have encountered so far using this phone.  I will review the phone’s features, price, design, performance, advantages and disadvantages.  This review will also help educate potential buyers of this mobile phone.  With this review I hope to reach the individuals who are “in the market” to purchase a new cell phone.

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For Specifications, click here.

Price

I found that the price of this phone is very comparable to other phones like this.  This phone is a very good value for the price.  I bought it for $99.98 at Walmart, but there are ways to get it even cheaper online such as through the Straight Talk website and by other means.

Features

The Samsung R451C phone features a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, MP3 Player, 1.3 Mega Pixel camera, web browser, Bluetooth, text/MMS messaging, speaker phone, voice commands, MicroSD Slot, 2’ LCD screen, Picture manager, and more.  I really find the Bluetooth helpful when using my Bluetooth headset.  I really like the “full “slide out QWERTY keyboard also, when I say “full” I mean it opens from the long side of the phone and not the short side.  For me, a “full” slide out QWERTY keyboard is much easier to use because its longer and the keys are bigger.  It is easier to text on and when you use the keyboard, the LCD screen adjusts to landscape orientation for viewing.  The MP3 player operates very good, the phone features a 2.5mm headphone jack, the music does not sound “tinny” at all.  I also listen to the MP3 player via my Bluetooth headset which is very, very nice. I am able to text and send MMS/picture messages as well.  The camera is very nice; I have not observed any negative aspects from the camera, however, it does not include a digital zoom.

The web browser is accessible when you slide out the keyboard, the browsing is html and images with some Javascript, there is no flash or other embedded objects.  That doesn’t really bother me much, I was still able to access whatever website I wanted.  The MicroSD card slot is very functional for extra storage.  I use mine all the time for storage of music and pictures.  However, the phone has internal memory of 64MB also.  For more about Features on this phone, click here.

Design

This phone is designed well, it is very neat, a good weight, size and easy to hold in my hand.  The phone measures 2’ x 4.25’ and 0.6’ deep.  It fits very well in the pocket.  The phone has a lock/unlock keyboard feature which comes in very handy.  You can also unlock the phone by sliding out the keyboard.  The phone is black, the keys are easy to read and find.  I have included a photo above.

Performance

The Samsung R451C mobile phone’s performance is very good, however, I find the battery doesn’t last very long before having to recharge it, this phone uses a 3.7 Volt Li-ion Battery 3.55Wh.  The internet access is slow, this phone is a CDMA X1 phone (it’s not 3G), but it’s still very reliable, just a bit slower.  Also, CDMA phones use the  Verizon network.  I find the call quality not very good while in my apartment, the signal varys a lot, depending on where I am in my apartment, but elsewhere it is reception is excellent.

Advantages/Disadvantages

Disadvantages: 

You have to slide out the keyboard in order to browse the internet.

• I was unable to download any graphics or ringtones directly to the phone.  When I tried to do that I got a message that said I had to go to the Straight Talk website to download graphics, backgrounds, wallpaper, ringtones, etc.

• I wish the phone had a digital zoom on the camera.

• In my opinion, the camera is very limited without a zoom function.

• I don’t really like that you have to slide out the keyboard in order to browse the internet.
• You can’t block someone’s number on this phone.

Advantages:

• QWERTY Keyboard
• MP3 Player
• Bluetooth
• Straight Talk cell phone plan
• Text/Picture/MMS messaging

Conclusion

Overall, this phone is a very good phone, the display is big and bright, the QWERTY keyboard makes texting really easy, and I love the Bluetooth capability, even though there were a few disadvantages, it’s still a really good phone.  I recommend it highly!